


It Was Only A Kiss

by kronette



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-21 10:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9543650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kronette/pseuds/kronette
Summary: Too much repetition of "Mr. Brightside" on the radio led to this plot bunny. Wherein Elizabeth orders a party, an alternate to mistletoe is proposed and Rodney learns he's a greedy man.





	

Rodney looked over his calculation one more time before saving it and shutting down the laptop. The Athosians were on Atlantis for some festival and it was close enough to the end of the Earth year that Elizabeth had declared a holiday party for everyone. Rodney didn’t care what was celebrated, as long as the Athosians had brought that spicy, flaky tart that he wanted to hoard until the spring. 

As Rodney neared the mess hall, he passed by clusters of people dressed in a range of Atlantis uniforms, casual clothes and Athosian ceremonial garb, laughing and…kissing? He glanced to his left and did a double-take; was that Kusanagi doubling Ronon over to kiss him? A sidelong shift to the right showed him another couple kissing, with encouraging hoots from those surrounding them. 

Making a note to bypass any alcoholic beverages, Rodney nodded to the handful of people who weren’t lip-locked and made straight for the long table piled with food and drink.

“Aha,” he exclaimed quietly as he grabbed a paper plate and stacked five of the tarts on it, picking up a sixth and taking a large bite. “So good,” he mumbled, eyes half closed as the crust melted on his tongue.

“That’s disturbing,” an amused voice observed. 

“Bite me,” Rodney fired back immediately, belatedly registering who had said it. “Oh, Colonel. I didn’t see you there.” 

The smirk on John Sheppard’s face deepened. “I don’t think you noticed anyone in this room. Do you need to be alone with that pastry?” 

Rodney pulled his plate closer to his chest and curled a hand in front of it defensively. “Just because I happen to enjoy a native dish is no reason to be rude.” 

John’s gaze flicked down to Rodney’s plate and one of his eyebrows rose in a knowing arch. “Enjoying food is one thing. You _moaned_ , Rodney. Out loud.” 

Rodney felt heat rush up his neck to his face at the predatory light in John’s eyes. “Jealous?” he quipped, though his expected harsh, mocking tone came out as more a soft taunt. 

John’s gaze swept over their immediate surroundings before he replied quietly, “Of anything that causes you to make that sound that isn’t me.” 

Rodney took an involuntary step back. He hadn’t been _serious_ , not _really_ , but John was…John was actually, properly, flirting with him. They’d danced around it for years; quips and innuendo just light enough to be taken at face value without any underlying meaning. This was…blatant. The heat in John’s eyes robbed Rodney of his voice; one of those rare moments where words utterly failed him. He turned and walked away in a daze, unsettled and confused. 

Before he could escape to his lab, Radek intercepted him. Gently leading Rodney away from the crush of people in the center of the room, Radek peered intently at him. “What has upset you?” 

“I’m not upset,” Rodney muttered, though his eyes flicked toward John’s direction, giving him away. 

Radek’s sharp eyes followed his and when he looked back to Rodney, he was frowning. “What has he done?” 

Rodney intended for his answer to come out whip-crack sharp, but the pitiful, “Nothing,” made him wince. “He only said…he didn’t mean anything by it,” Rodney tried to deflect, but he _wasn’t_ sure what John had meant by it. Three years of almost-flirting derailed by his enjoyment of a pastry had seriously messed with his head. What had John been _thinking_? 

Anger flashed in Radek’s eyes and Rodney felt pressure on his upper arm. It was then that he noticed the warmth of Radek’s hand still resting there and swallowed thickly. “Um, Radek?” he began, but didn’t know what he wanted to say. They were friends; they worked well together. They pushed each other to be better and Rodney appreciated that more than he could ever say. _This_ , however, really hadn’t crossed his mind. Very much. Hardly ever. 

Radek’s expression had softened to the patient suffering that seemed to be his default whenever Rodney was in proximity. “Breathe, Rodney. I only mean to offer support as a friend.” 

“I don’t need support,” Rodney muttered nervously, licking his lips. “I need…I don’t know what I need,” he ended with a dejected sigh. He absently took the cup of Athosian ale from Radek’s hand and took a deep swallow, hoping it would give him a different perspective on what John had been implying and help him explain why Radek had felt the need to stop him from retreating to his safe haven. 

“Perhaps I can offer a suggestion?” The softness of Radek’s eyes shifted to something deeper, something that made Rodney’s chest tighten around his suddenly too-small lungs. They locked gazes as Radek stepped closer, Rodney inhaling sharply as Radek’s hand joined his in holding the plate. “Since there is no mistletoe and not all cultures know what it means, Elizabeth decided that an ‘x’ on the bottom of your plate or cup signified that you had to find someone to kiss.” 

“Kiss?” Rodney squeaked, thankfully barely above a whisper as memories of his walk into the mess hall crashed through him. Kusanagi and Ronon. Lorne and Davis. Heightmeyer and Baxter…

Soft skin broken by rough callouses dragged along the backs of Rodney’s fingers, hidden from view beneath the plate. A soft keen escaped from Rodney’s parted lips, accompanied by the pounding of his heart and a tingling sensation racing up his arms. Radek’s tongue flicked out to wet his lower lip and Rodney had to hold his breath to keep any further sound from escaping. 

“Only if your plate has an ‘x’. Does it?” Radek held his gaze, steady and solemn, and Rodney knew that it was his choice. He could check and remove all doubt, or he could lie and say yes or no. Rodney’s gaze flicked to where John had been, but he was not in the general area. Sliding his gaze back to Radek, Rodney felt guilt press onto his chest. What Radek wanted from him had nothing to do with John, only it had _something_ to do with John, because Rodney wouldn’t mind kissing John, either. And he was pretty sure that Radek knew it. 

Wetting his dry lips, he watched the dilation of Radek’s pupils and swallowed hard. “It’s a possibility,” he hedged, shifting his hand holding the plate to rub against Radek’s fingers. “But what if I want an ‘x’ on someone else’s cup, too?” 

An infinitesimal smile lifted the corners of Radek’s mouth. “I know you are a greedy man. You have always wanted your pastry and to eat it, too.” Eyes widening, Rodney watched as Radek picked a crumb of crust off the plate and nearly went into heart palpations as it was pressed against his numb lips. “I understand your desire for both. A kiss could be merely a kiss, or it could mean more. Whatever you decide, it is your decision. I won’t mind either way.” 

Breathing ragged, Rodney parted his lips so Radek’s thumb could gently push the crumb into the crease. Rodney quickly flicked his tongue against Radek’s thumb, feeling a rush of power and desire as Radek’s breath shuddered out of him. 

Radek’s hand went with the plate as Rodney shifted it to the side, dipping his head the slightest bit to press their mouths together. Radek’s lips were soft, but Rodney only cared about the emotions pouring through him, into him and back out to Radek. It started tentative and chaste, but the kiss took on more meaning as it went on, Rodney’s hand on Radek’s waist and Radek’s arm pressed against the small of his back.

When he pulled back, Rodney saw the darkened skin on Radek’s cheeks and felt a different sort of flush heating his body. “I—this—it’s been awhile since I’ve let myself…and now I don’t…” He rubbed his thumb in the bunched fabric at Radek’s waist, hoping his touch could somehow convey what he was trying to say. 

“You are a greedy man,” Radek stated calmly, without a trace of annoyance or anger. 

Rodney shivered as Radek’s hand pressed against his spine, the cold of the cup contrasting with the heat of Radek’s skin. “Yes,” he agreed, though it came out more breathless than he would have liked. “But you like me anyway.” 

Radek’s smile bloomed slowly and caused strange flutterings all over Rodney’s insides. “Insanity, I know, but we cannot help who we like.” 

“No, we can’t,” Rodney admitted, his gaze immediately sweeping the room for the familiar spiky brown hair. When he couldn’t find John, he looked back at Radek, who was staring at him with a patient smile. “So it’s okay if I see if John’s cup has a ‘x’ on the bottom?” 

Radek leaned in to give him a soft kiss. “I have already told you: it’s fine.” 

Still not believing that their entire interaction was real, Rodney blurted out, “Are you serious? I mean,” he backpedaled hastily, “ _I’d_ mind if you’d asked to kiss someone else right after I’d kissed you.” 

The smirk that crossed Radek’s features rivaled John’s. “I am a bigger man than you, McKay. Besides,” all the breath left Rodney at once as Radek stroked along his hip and halfway down his thigh, “If you kiss him, I get to watch.” 

“Oh, that is just wrong,” Rodney moaned softly, nearly dropping the plate in shock. “Wrong and evil and I am so screwed.” His eyes fell closed as Radek’s fingers dragged along his thigh, then abandoned him completely. 

“Sheppard is by the third window. He’s been watching us the entire time.” 

When Rodney opened his eyes, Radek was gone. He spun around, trying to see through the crowd, but couldn’t spot him. Muttering to himself about cock teasing engineers, Rodney stomped his way through the groups of people until he got to the window Radek had indicated and planted himself in front of John. 

Before Rodney even opened his mouth, John held up a hand, asking for his silence. “I’m sorry about before. I misread the situation and spoke without thinking.” 

Nervous with half-formed desires that Radek had stirred up, Rodney barely managed to keep his voice low as he sniped, “So you _didn’t_ mean to imply that you’d love to make me moan?” 

Rodney did not miss the so-quick-you’d-miss-it dart of John’s gaze to the far end of the mess hall, where he’d just been with Radek. He also felt the hesitant pause before John replied, “I meant it _then_ , but that was before I knew about…”

“Radek, yes,” Rodney interrupted with an impatient wave of his hand. “About that. It turns out that I’m a rather greedy man who wants it all.” 

He had John’s full attention. “What are you saying, Rodney?”

“Kissing him” — Rodney cursed the heat that flared over his cheeks — “Was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Kissing you would be deliberate and seriously long-awaited.” He took a deep breath to steel himself and pointed to the cup John held. “I’ll make this very simple. If you tell me that has an ‘x’ on the bottom, I’ll kiss you. If you tell me that it doesn’t, I’ll walk away. But I’d really like it if you said it did. So, does it?” He held John’s gaze; watched it go from anger to confusion to surprise, to a heat so intense it left Rodney shaking.

“Yeah.” John’s drawl intensified Rodney’s shaking as his adrenaline went into overdrive. 

Sliding his plate onto the nearest table, Rodney grabbed John’s hips and slanted their mouths together, moaning as flavor burst over his tongue. John was relentless, tongue flicking over teeth and tongue and lips— _chasing the taste of Radek out of his mouth_ —and Rodney’s moan vibrated against their lips. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that Rodney could feel the buttons on John’s shirt against his chest and shifted his hips to accommodate his growing erection. He grew lightheaded at John’s half-growl, half-groan and his mouth was plundered anew, teeth nipping at his lower lip and a hand restless on his lower back. 

Rodney dug his fingers into John’s sides, pulling back long enough to breathe, “John,” before his mouth was captured again. It was like once the dam was breached, the valley flooded, swallowing everything in its path. 

Rodney was acutely aware that they were in the mess hall with dozens of people all around them and wanted to get John’s attention, but John had a singular focus when he wanted, and it was clear he _wanted_. Rodney could feel that evidence against his thigh, hard and hot and so real that he pushed back, breathing hard and holding John at arm’s length. “ _We need to stop_ ,” he hissed. He shot his most withering glare at John’s dark eyes and deep pout. “Put that away before someone gets hurt,” he threatened, trying to get his own emotions under control. 

“We need to leave, right now,” John urged, shifting from one foot to the other. 

Rodney let him go and smoothed his shirt down over his hips. “No,” he stated simply and succinctly, all but falling into the nearest chair to hide his erection and catch his breath. “This isn’t just about us, John. There’s Radek. And about half of Atlantis surrounding us. I won’t be a spectator sport.” 

John dropped into the chair across from him and pulled his hands through his hair, making it stick up even wilder. “That was amazing. You tasted… _God_ , what was that? All spicy and tangy…”

Rodney’s plate was sitting between them, with five whole tarts and the remains of the sixth balanced on the edge. Rodney broke off a piece and held it up. “Try it.” A strangled sound caught in his throat as John leaned forward to wrap lips around his fingers, the rasping tongue cleaning his fingers of the gooey middle and clinging crust. 

“That is so not fair,” Rodney whimpered as John licked the crumbs from his lips. 

John moaned his appreciation, but looked thoughtful. “Good, but I liked it better when it tasted like you.” 

Rodney narrowed his eyes threateningly. “Yes, well, now isn’t the time to be sampling that particular flavor combination. There’s the matter of the party going on around us.” His body was betraying him and his voice wavered the tiniest bit, but he stood firm. As much as he wanted—God, did he want—both of them—Rodney wasn’t about to jeopardize whatever they all had with impulsiveness. “And I need to ask you something.” 

John’s soft groan vibrated through Rodney’s entire body, setting him on edge again. “Don’t make me _think_ , Rodney. Not after that kiss.” 

Voice unsteady, Rodney pleaded, “That’s exactly what I want to talk to you about. I liked kissing Radek. I liked kissing you. Is that going to be a problem for you?” 

Some of the desire faded from John’s expression. “What are you saying?”

Rodney shifted uncomfortably on his seat. “That I want to kiss him again, the way I kissed you. Then I want to kiss you the way I kissed him. But not at the same time. I’m greedy; not kinky.” 

John’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, raised in disbelief. “So you’re saying no to threesomes but you’re okay with sharing?” he clarified in a too-high-pitched voice. 

Rodney shifted his hips again, trying not to visualize John and Radek kissing. “Yes?” 

Doubt began to cloud John’s expression and Rodney realized he was going to lose him—either the potential for a relationship or his friendship altogether. Rodney reached out and grasped John’s hand. “Or it was only a kiss. No commitment. No recrimination. Just a kiss at a party where everyone is kissing everyone else.” Though it hurt Rodney more than he would ever admit, he gave John the out: “It doesn’t have to mean anything.” 

Fingers tightened on his and John’s voice was rough as he hissed, “But it _did_ , damn it. It meant something to me and I know it did to you.” Rodney’s chest ached as John’s grip lessened, letting the space between their fingers grow. “I also know your kiss with Zelenka meant something, and that’s not…that I can’t handle. Not right now.” 

Rodney pulled his hand all the way back, curling it into a loose fist. “Okay,” he relented as calmly as he could. “Let’s say that we got swept up in the party atmosphere and no life-altering decisions will be made tonight. We’ll all take a few days to think it over and see how we feel then.” 

“That sounds completely reasonable,” John replied, though the disappointed frown ruined his attempt at sounding unaffected. 

Feeling wrung out, Rodney pushed up from the table. “I’ll talk to you in a few days. I’ll see Radek on the way out to let him know.” 

John leaned forward and fixed him with a penetrating stare. “You really like both of us?”

Rodney’s stomach twisted uncomfortably as he stated honestly, “Yes, I do.” He picked up his plate and headed toward the entrance, not surprised when Radek slid into step beside him.

“Rodney?”

“I’m giving you and John a few days to think over what you want from me,” he replied quickly, checking if anyone was paying attention to them as they walked. “I like both of you and I don’t want to give up either of you. But I don’t want…” 

“All of us together,” Radek finished thoughtfully. “Yes, that would be awkward for me as well.” 

“I’m _so_ glad we’re all in agreement on that, at least,” Rodney remarked dryly, wondering when he’d fallen into the _Twilight Zone_. “I’ll see you later.” 

He retreated to his room, tossing the plate of tarts onto his desk as he readied himself for bed. He found a sealed container in his desk and put the remaining tarts in it to keep them fresh, but hesitated before tossing the plate. Holding it over the trash can, he slowly turned it over, revealing the completely white underside. He let it drop from his fingers, watching it disappear into the darkness. 

He lay back on his bed, fingers laced together over his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling, contemplating if he could ever believe what he’d shared with John or Radek was only a kiss. 

Sleep would be a very, very long time coming. 

The End


End file.
